Employers can help commemorate service heroes by offering jobs on The Royal British Legion site and helping them adapt to life outside the Army

The charity can even help former Forces staff get a new business off the ground

BY JANE HAMILTON

3rd November 2016, 3:03 am

Updated: 5th July 2017, 1:39 pm

AS Remembrance Sun­day approaches, it’s time to commemorate the contribution service­men and women make to society.

For employers, it could be time to give something back by helping former Forces staff contribute to your business.

SWNS:South West News Service

The Royal British Legion launches its annual Poppy Appeal

This week, as The Royal British Legion launches its annual Poppy Appeal, the charity is also appealing for firms to offer jobs to service leavers.

The Legion runs its own employment site, civvystreet.org, where former Forces staff or those about to leave can search for jobs.

And as well as helping veterans find work, the Legion also offers employment grants that can fund expenses, from travel costs to an interview to course fees.

If you’re ex-Forces-turned- entrepreneur, the charity can even help you get your business off the ground with grants and work programmes.

Antony Baines, director of operations at The Royal British Legion, says: “We appreciate that adjusting to life back on Civvy Street can be a challenging time for service leavers, as well as their families.

“The Legion supports those who are about to leave, as well as veterans and their partners and dependants.

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Here are The Royal British Legion’s top employment tips for service leavers:1. Make your CV sing like a civilian. Pick out key words from the job description to see where they fit into your military work experience.

Get someone to look it over to see if it makes sense outside of the Forces.

2. Make the most of your skills. Leadership, punctuality, teamwork, following directions, information security — these are all assets. Be proud of your service.

3. Do your research. Investigate the current job market and discover where your strengths are.

No idea what you want to do? Try a career match tool or even a personality-based careers tester.

4. Network. Contact old colleagues and friends, ask family, call employers that you would love to work for and go on social media. Tap into the hidden job market.

The Legion’s Civvy Street CV Builder will help you create a professional one.

6. Don’t go it alone. There’s a multitude of help out there including networking and mentoring schemes, jobs boards, recruitment agencies, CV help, grants and funding schemes for education and training, open days, workshops, employer led programmes — the list is endless.

I fit into a new role when Army job ended

JEL BEARDER served in the Royal Regiment of Artillery and 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery from 1986 to 1991, seeing Canada, Germany and Cyprus.

But after leaving the Army, sporty Jel struggled to find regular work. He also missed Forces comradeship.

Jel Bearder missed the Forces comradeship after he left

However, after visiting his local Royal British Legion, a Civvy Street adviser helped him land a job as a park manager with workout firm British Military Fitness.

Jel, 46, of Waltham Abbey, Essex, says: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Often, as ex-Services personnel, we are too proud to ask.

“But Civvy Street gave me the opportunity of a new life and I haven’t looked back.

“The Legion covered the cost of my training course, accommodation and travel, allowing me to become a qualified fitness instructor.

“Working for a firm run by ex-military, being outside, making people feel great about themselves and having the opportunity to travel is fantastic.

"I have been lucky enough to take members on fitness holidays to the Canary Islands and skiing trips to Austria. I’m off to Nepal for adventure training next week.

“I can’t thank the Legion enough for helping me build a new life. It’s given me a completely new direction.”

The office 'social'

HERE is a comment your boss won’t “like” – one in 12 Brits spend 45 minutes of every hour on social media at work.

A YouGov and PeoplePerHour report found workers in Wales are the worst culprits, with 14 per cent admitting they spend up to SIX HOURS on social media every day while at work.

Women spend 25 per cent more time online than men, with under-20s the heaviest users. And half of staff admit to posting a Facebook status at work.

Despite this, just five per cent have been warned about their social media habits.

PeoplePerHour’s Xenios Thrasyvoulou says: “No manager expects their workforce to be productive all day but a loss of several hours is unacceptable.”

Work calls for docs

THIS flu season, sick staff are turning to apps to beat GPs’ queues and stay at work.

The new “doctor on demand” services mean employees can ask a GP to visit their workplace or home, so they don’t have to take time off.

GPDQ

GPDQ founder Dr Anshumen Bhagat saw that his patients were anxious to get back to work

A new report from app GPDQ found UK workers wait on average five days to get an appointment that fits around work, with some waiting up to 21 days.

As a result, 63 per cent of those polled said their illness had got worse, while two in five got too sick to work.

Official figures show 59 per cent of employed Brits took time off work to visit a GP in the past year.

GPDQ founder Dr Anshumen Bhagat says: “As a surgery-based GP, I could see my patients were concerned about rushing to get back to work. Now, GP appointments in the office are becoming more widely accepted.”

Working part-time can pay

While the average part-timer takes home £11,503 each year, a new study by recruiter Glassdoor found lecturers are the highest paid – earning, on average, £36,513.

Other well-paid jobs include business analysts, who earn around £28,800, while teaching assistants can expect to earn £20,300 and warehouse workers £16,800.

Tutors also do well, with a salary of £16,500.

Glassdoor’s Diarmuid Russell says: “Part-time work can be a great way to give people the ability to combine work with time to enjoy other interests. That can be to improve work-life balance, to create more time for the family or to earn some extra money while studying.”

Santa's needing helpers

WANT to help Santa? Lapland UK is seeking “elves” to help Father Christmas at Whitmoor Forest in Ascot, Berks.

You will help visitors make toys, decorate gingerbread, go ice skating, meet huskies, help write letters at the elves’ post office and take children to meet Santa in his snowy woodland home.

Santa's Little Helpers ... become a trainee elf this year at Lapland UK

There are full and part-time roles for trainee elves with experience in food and beverage, retail, performance, front-of-house and ice skating.

You must be over 18. Training begins on November 12.

Mike Battle, founder of Lapland UK wife Alison, says: “We are looking for folk with big hearts and open minds.”